Digital Commons Network^™

Assessment Of Airborne Cultural Fungi Indoors And Outdoors In A Rural Veterinary Clinic, Elena Ortez, Oluwatosin Jegede, Dorothy Seybold, Daeshjea Mcgee, Atin Adhikari, Ally Holmes

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Background and Objectives: Veterinary clinics can inadvertently release and propagate bacteria through several mechanisms, primarily due to contaminated surfaces, insufficient cleaning protocols, and, in some instances, direct transmission from infected animals or staff. Given that these clinics are high-traffic environments, they can serve as hotspots for clinic-acquired infections if rigorous hygiene practices are not upheld. This study evaluated airborne bacterial concentrations in different areas of a veterinary clinic compared to outdoor ambient air by calculating the indoor-to-outdoor ratios.

Methods: Airborne culturable bacterial samples were collected using a Biostage Impactor across eight internal zones including waiting areas, treatment rooms, and wards …

Chlorine, Megan Scarbrough, Emily Sarno

CHM 103 Honors, Elements, Fall 2026

Student presentation from the Fall 2026 semester of CHM 103 Honors, taught by Professor George Dombi.

Does Legal Cynicism Mediate The Relationship Between Parental Incarceration And Child Delinquency?, Elizabeth Rose Bishop, Theresa Moore

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Research has explored the extent of the prison boom from its origin in the 1970s to the present where the issue of high prison populations remains today. However, the inmates are suffering a multifaceted array of consequences to their actions. Directly they are serving a legal sentence but indirectly families that are left behind also suffer unforeseen aftermaths. Literature diving into the prison boom and wide array of implications of incarceration has only recently begun and, as it has increased over time, has begun to turn the lens to this vulnerable population that has been left behind. Families that are …

Empowering Students For Success In The Workplace, Amelia Baker, Brian Wooten, Ahmad Ali, Christine Ziegler, Judy Craven, Nicole Phillips, Justin Lawhead

Symposium of Student Scholars

Although a bachelor's degree is commonly viewed as a pathway to career success, many students graduate without the practical skills and real-world knowledge needed to thrive in the workplace (Song, 2025). Employers are placing greater importance on critical thinking and soft skills such as communication and collaboration—areas that traditional academic programs may not always prioritize. In spring 2025, a multi-institutional team developed and completed a research study evaluating the curriculum of a course focused on preparing students for the workforce. Individuals in business, government and/or non-profit communities reviewed the current course curriculum and offered insight for emerging trends needed to …

Canadian Security Intelligence Service (Csis), Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

April 24, 2025 presentation for Canada's GovInfo Day Spring 2025 hosted by Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and Internet Archive Canada. Provides information about the publicly available information resources produced by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) which is the Canadian Government's foremost national intelligence agency. Provides information about this agency's statutory organization, types of publicly available reports they produce, information about other Canadian government intelligence agencies, and parliamentary oversight of Canadian government intelligence operations. Lists additional resources for finding information about CSIS and explains the benefits of having access to these resources for users.

Empowering Staff Wellbeing: A Team-Based Qi Initiative, Rebecca Lauren Smith, Elizabeth Morse, David Phillippi

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Project Title: Empowering Staff Wellbeing: A Team-Based QI Initiative

Keywords: Burnout, wellbeing, DNP, primary care, QI methodology

Background and Rationale: The consequences of burnout in healthcare are alarming: worse patient outcomes, lack of continuity of care, higher turnover, and increased cost to employers. Many studies of burnout and wellbeing of clinicians focus on larger institutions such as hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers. Over the past several years, burnout has been discussed among our small, eight-person clinician team working in a small, non-profit primary care clinic. Yet, there has been no formal assessment of the level of burnout among …

Ethical Ai Use And Classroom Integration Training Modules, Daniel Boudon

Open Educational Resources

This project focuses on developing comprehensive training modules to equip students and faculty with the knowledge and skills necessary to ethically and effectively use AI tools in academic settings. The training consists of interconnected modules that cover a wide range of topics, including the ethical use of AI, evaluating AI-generated content, integrating AI tools into curriculum design, and creating AI-enhanced classroom activities. Additional modules emphasize fostering digital literacy, staying updated with AI advancements, and collaborating on best practices for AI in education.

Designed for flexibility, the modules cater to diverse academic disciplines, making them suitable for undergraduate and graduate courses, …

Taking Point: Getting Dual Enrollment Programs Started In Your State, Shadh Molla

ERAU SMART@ER Educators Conference

While the GAI Dual-Enrollment program is a smashing success, running in many Florida high schools, it is only beginning to take hold in other states. This session will explore how the program got started in the state of Ohio, and how it has expanded. Attendees will be equipped with tips and strategies to get the ERAU/GAI Dual-Enrollment started in their own states. Session repeated on Friday at 11:00.

Climate Change Impacts On Bridge Scour Risk In New York State, Alexis Torres

Publications and Research

Bridge scour, the erosion of sediment around bridge foundations, is the leading cause of bridge failure in the United States. This problem is exacerbated by severe storms and the impacts of climate change, which can increase the risk of scour-related bridge failures. Effective prioritization and mitigation of scour risks is crucial for enhancing the resilience of transportation networks. Addressing the level of Scour to abutments that are submerged in large bodies of water caused by climate is a monumental task and operation to facilitate.

Stopping The Bleed At Uri, Emily Lefebre

Senior Honors Projects

The number one cause of preventable death is uncontrolled bleeding from traumatic injury. From the unlikely scenario of a school shooting, to a campus car accident or an injury during a sports or club event, possessing skills to effectively stop a life-threatening bleed becomes a matter of life or death. The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) STOP THE BLEED® program is a campaign to teach communities how to respond effectively and efficiently to life-threatening bleeding in emergencies. STOP THE BLEED® aims to empower individuals with the knowledge and skills to stop severe bleeding by tourniquet application, …

Smart Decarceration In The U.S And Our Communities, Brooke Freeland, Andrea Dehler, Jessica Rojas, Ethan Thompson, Emily Seaberg

Student Academic Conference

The rate of incarceration in the United States is one of the highest in the world and frequently affects members of vulnerable populations. The ineffectiveness of incarceration can be displayed by the following statement, “Prisoners often carry additional deficits of drug and alcohol addictions, mental and physical illnesses, and lack of work preparation or experience” (n.d.). In response, The Grand Challenges for Social Work poses smart decarceration as one solution to address high rates of incarceration. Our findings reveal the effects of decarceration policies on incarcerated persons and the community, as well as the effects of how resources are allocated. …

U.S. Government Agency Podcasts, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Presents podcasts from U.S. Government agencies which can be discovered through the U.S. Government Publishing Office's Catalog of Government Publications. Agencies whose podcasts are presented include the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Peace Corps, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Government Accountability Office (GAO), National Park Service, Department of Justice, Federal Reserve System, and U.S. Naval War College.

Transitions To Nibrs And The Benefits Nibrs Provides To The User Community, Drema Fouch

Open Access Week

Presented by Agent Drema Fouch (Management and Program Analyst, National Incident-Based Reporting System Coordinator, FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program)

Join us as we hear from an FBI specialist on open-source crime reporting, including the transition to a new reporting system and its impact to the user community.

Community Conversations: Using Focus Groups And Qualitative Surveys To Understand The Aspirations, Challenges And Solutions Of Under-Represented Community Groups In A Tri-County Region., Curtis J. Vanderwaal, Emma D. Vanderwaal

Adventist Human-Subject Researchers Association

Community needs assessments often fail to include the voices of underrepresented groups. Student and faculty research teams analyzed qualitative data from nine focus groups and 364 qualitative survey responses. Using a constant comparative methodology, findings explore the aspirations, challenges, and solutions from these community groups.

Develop Restorative Capacity, Don't Defund Your Safety Network, Louis L. Fletcher Phd, David Watson

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

The Executive Director of Facilities & Operations and the Director of Safety & Security for a Colorado School district with 27,000 students will share tools, techniques, and experiences, which have cultivated restorative practices (RP) in their district. The presenters will discuss the effectiveness of proactive techniques for training SROs and school security officers to provide successful restorative alternatives to traditional discipline approaches with the goal of helping participants evaluate whether getting rid of SROs versus retraining their approach to student discipline is the best alternative.

Ready, Set, Go...Wildfire Preparedness And Public Libraries, Kellian Clink

Library Services Publications

A distillation of tips from the state/provincial fire preparedness agencies will be presented. Recommendations for programming for public libraries to build bridges with fire educators are offered, along with ideas on how to display materials that might describe what important papers should be in go-bags, how to drive out of a wildfire, and how to have a game plan for home, work, daycare, kids, and critters. Provincial and state specific resources will be included in a pathfinder, along with a selection of titles of books, articles, and websites about fire awareness.

Rethinking Trust, Reconnecting Us - Website And Campaign To Combat Misinformation, Jacob Owens, Connor Dunlap, Ben Brodhead, Reed Lindsey, Colin Mclean, Elle Wilgus

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Advancements in online platforms can lead to a more widely informed public, but they also create room for false information. Misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine has become a public safety issue. Our team created a project that contributes to solving this global problem. Our project’s mission is to tackle vaccine related misinformation. The project utilizes a human-centered method to design a solution.

Based on our literature review the main problem is skepticism about getting vaccinated. Our solution is to create an online portal targeted at college students, highlighting the benefits of vaccination, examining examples of misinformation, providing trusted sources for …

An Overview Of The Qualified Immunity Doctrine And Its Application In Kentucky Law, Ethan Garvin, Joe Dunman

2021 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Oral Presentations

Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that protects law enforcement officers from lawsuits if the courts find their actions fit three criteria: the action must be discretionary rather than ministerial, the action must be in good faith, and the action must be within the scope of the employee’s authority. By conducting a survey of cases in both the Kentucky court system and the federal court system, this presentation analyzes how qualified immunity is applied. This presentation looks at the doctrine and what the courts look for in various tort claims involving police officers, such as negligence, assault, and false imprisonment. …

Connecting Families And Continued Learning Through Covid-19, Michael C. O'Neal, Tameka Tribble, Michelle Rice

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

For 20+ years in Savannah, Georgia, Parent University has successfully enhanced the ability of families to create an environment in which learning thrives for both children and parents. When the pandemic closed schools and disrupted normal programming, Parent University immediately pivoted to online programming to continue connecting families with relevant education, resources and support throughout this time of need. The pandemic also exposed a huge gap in technology and education. Therefore, Parent University is working to close that gap with our new Tech College at Parent University.

Destroying And Creating History: Butte, Montana’S Model City Program, 1968-1975, John C. Stefanek

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed the “Model Cities Act” into law. A part of Johnson’s Great Society, Model Cities was a national urban renewal program that sought to renew all aspects of society and included anything from the creation of parks and recreational facilities to increasing funding for senior citizens’ programs. My research examines the implementation of Model Cities in Butte, Montana. Whereas Model Cities was most visibly seen in metropolises like Detroit and Baltimore as a means to curtail riots and racial strife, the Butte program, in the words of the program’s director, James Murphy, wished to drag …

Math And Sustainability, Caroline Goodman

Sabbatical Projects

A collection of activities, connecting mathematics with sustainability issues, will be created and stored electronically in the JCCC Math Collaboratory for all math faculty to access.

This sabbatical will be used to research, find and evaluate available resources, and assemble engaging and enriching activities for students in a variety of courses.

The Impact Of The Prescription Drug User Fees Act (Pdufa) On The Food And Drug Administration (Fda), Gabriella Ravin

Capstone Showcase

This research questions the impact that the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) has had on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA is a regulatory system that was established in 1938 and created in order to manage and regulate standards related to food and drugs and to ensure that these standards are being followed by individuals and firms. The PDUFA was legislated in 1992 in order to provide more resources to the FDA through user fees. While the PDUFA was enacted in order to help the FDA process applications of new drugs and medicines and review standards more …

Level Up On Diversity, Inclusion And Equity, Jack Blahnik

Together We RISE (Making Excellence Inclusive)

This presentation will detail practices and procedures faculty and staff can take in a virtual environment to be more equitable, inclusive and diverse minded. Now more than ever, it is integral to not only advocate for our underserved student populations, but actively support and engage these students in practices that equitable and inclusive for all. Now more than ever, it is vital that institutions across the US recognize the injustices that often plaque our communities of color and underserved populations; thus, it is critical that faculty and staff make a conscious and intentional effort to do better. As the people …

Depression Amongst Law Enforcement Officers Leading To An Increase In Police Suicide, Molly Hughes

Academic Festival

All work facilities and organizations need to implement mental health resources for their employees. Millions across the country, especially first responders, suffer in silence everyday as they work to tend to the needs of others. There are many individuals who feel as if they can’t address the anxiety, stress, or depressive states they may be in due to what is expected of them in the workplace. Rather than addressing their own mental health needs, they bottle up their emotions, never receiving the proper treatment or guidance to get them through difficult times. As individuals continue to put their mental health …

Smart Guns, The Law, And The Second Amendment, Dru Stevenson

Penn State Law Review Symposia

Smart guns, which originally meant personalized guns that only the owner could fire, had a false start as a promising new technology several years ago. Nevertheless, policymakers have shown renewed interest in the wake of highly publicized incidents of gun violence, as well as advances in technology. The first generation of smart guns foundered on problems with the reliability of the technology, as well as a legislative misstep that would have banned all other guns as soon as smart guns appeared in the retail market, triggering massive boycotts of certain manufacturers and dealers, and a subsequent abandonment of the project …

Lessons Learned From Designing A Health Monitoring System To Improve First Responders Safety User Interface, Janaki Devi Naveena Akula, Jackson Urrutia, Hitesh Kumar Khatri, Anusha Manda, Jacob C. Grothe

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Every day, first responders put their own lives at risk to help individuals, families, and communities. They experience many safety and health hazards on the front-line that can lead to injuries, chronic illnesses, and even death. Chronic illnesses include cancer, heart diseases, and behavioral health issues that often cause first responders life expectancy to be significantly shortened.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, there were 64 on-duty firefighter deaths in 2018. Sudden cardiac death accounted for about 40% of the on-duty fatalities. During 2017, there were an estimated 44,530 documented exposures to hazardous conditions (e.g. chemicals, fumes, radioactive materials) …

Mi Casa No Es Tu Casa: Attitudes Of Rio Grande Valley Police Regarding Immigration And Crime, Catherine E. Burton, Gordon A. Crews

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Seeing With A Climate Lens, Jane Ganion

Year on Climate Change: Events

Join Jana Ganion from the Blue Lake Rancheria and Kit Batten, an independent climate change consultant previously at Pacific Gas & Electric to talk about a zero-emission future and your role in it. We will discuss insights and lessons learned from the clean energy and sustainability field through our work to shape a grid of the future. If you don’t yet know exactly what you want to do or you are have been working in these fields for decades, join us to talk about sustainability, electrical grids, climate, international diplomacy, the future, and you.

Assessing The Effects Of Culling As A Management Tool For Urban Mule Deer Populations, Hamilton Q. Platt

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Cities and towns are expanding across the western United States into historic areas of wildlife habitat. Many species such as white-tailed deer, mule deer, and even elk are adapting to effectively live alongside humans in urban areas. However, animals and humans living in close proximity often creates problems with public safety as animals can become aggressive to people or damage property. Our study looks at how the City of Helena, Montana is managing a population of overabundant urban mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) using culling in order to reduce population density. We used distance sampling data to determine that the population …

Using Gis In Archaeology For The Don Carlos Site, Jeremy Morin

Show Your Stripes Research and Creative Showcase

The project I would like to present is the GIS project I did for Dr. Boston on the Don Carlos archaeology site in Moniteau County, Missouri. The presentation would consist of a few aerial photos of the site, as well as a plat map from the 1930s, and a topographic map from around the mid-1980s; all of which have a GIS’d outline of individual parts of the site. I will then explain the items used to map the entire site, as well as some of the items that were discovered, why they are of important to the site and the …